bronwen

Hi Gemmae31 - to throw another perspective into the mix, my husband and I completed our visa application entirely on our own. That said, I think we had a very straightforward case (skilled independent 189) and didn't have any problems. There is so much advice available on the Australian website (and in online forums) that it can be a simple process. We applied in September 2015 and our visas were granted (direct) in October 2015 - so it certainly can be done! Best of luck!

Hi folks - any recommendations for one way travel insurance? I notice that a number of travel insurance policies require you to be resident in the UK, which will no longer be applicable once we've left... We're also doing an extended stop over in South Africa for a month.

I (am a woman and) pay at the pump all the time! They're still not at ALL petrol stations in the UK but I definitely prefer them to having to go into the shop and stand in a queue

Agree with others that it probably depends a lot on your circumstances. My husband and I successfully submitted our own 189 skilled independent visa and didn't have any problems at all. Our situation and subsequent application was reasonably straighforward though - from the moment we started the ball rolling i.e. booking English tests, skills assessment to direct visa grant was under 6 months. So it definitely can be done without an agent!

Hi Andrew My husband and I are planning on moving to Australia in February next year and want to take our pensions with us. We are 30 years old and have been contributing to pensions for approx 4 years - these are both private pensions (I think - with Scottish Widows and my husband's company). We are South Africans who have been living in the UK for the last 5 years. Is it possible to transfer these to an equivalent Australian 'pension' without suffering huge tax right offs? Many thanks in advance

Thanks Kezza37. We're planning for sometime between Feb and April next year and will be moving to Sydney, as I have some family there. Not sure whether to just jump ship and go or spend the extra month or two saving and planning... It's a very dauntingprocess and getting the visa was only the first step of many!

Hi Kezza37! We're also in the early stages, although have had our visa approved.. and feel like jump from being super excited and wanting to be on the first flight over to terrified and second guessing if this is even the right move - so I sure hope it's normal!

Hey Suziedoll, my sister suffers from clinical depression and she went through her Aus medical with no problems, so don't worry about it for one minute!

Steven106, here's a link to the the 189 visa document checklist - https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/189-/Skilled-Independent-visa-(subclass-189)-document-checklist think that should answer your question. To note, you don't have to upload medicals and police clearance certificates at the time of application but can rather wait for the CO to request them. We frontloaded our application and got a direct grant, so can avoid delays if you want to upload them straight away. And yes, I think your brother will need to supply evidence of 'genuine' relationship with his fiancee, photos, joint bank account, emails, tenancy agreement etc.

There's a document checklist available on the Australian website that you will probably find helpful: https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/189-/Skilled-Independent-visa-(subclass-189)-document-checklist I'd add that you don't need all the documents listed - for example, we didn't provide birth certificates, as we'd provided copies of our passports as proof of identity. But to submit an EOI you don't need to upload any documents - it's only once you've been invited to apply for the actual visa.

Oh goodness Selina Smith - that's a lot of extra information! But at least with an assigned CO, you're one step closer! It might be worth asking the CO re. husband's Australian PCC - my sister was asked for one from South Africa (even though she hadn't lived there for >10 years) but went ahead and got it - only to have the CO turn around and say, oh, you didn't actually need that after all! Doesn't hurt to ask. Good luck!

I would add that if you're going to claiming English capability points, that you'd need to know your score (IELTS or other) to know how many points you'd be able to claim. Also depends on how quickly you want to apply once you've been invited - I believe you have up to two months once receiving an invitation.

Thanks everyone - appreciate all the advice. I think that I'm most interested in time scales - is it ever too early to start applying for jobs? From Que Sera, Sera's experience it seems we might only want to start looking 6 weeks or so from expected date of arrival. Considering we're aiming for Feb - April 2016 arrival, it might be too early just yet, plus with Christmas slow down approaching, might be best waiting for the new year to arrive? Does anyone have experience of companies willing to wait a good few months for you to arrive - again, I understand this would depend on the particular position and skill set etc.

Hi folks - I know, this going to be a hugely variable topic and probably covered elsewhere, but I wanted to hear others (relatively recent) experiences of finding work in Australia. My husband is a mechanical / project engineer and I'm probably going to be looking for work as an environmental consultant. Did anyone manage to secure work before moving over on a skilled 189 visa? And if not, how long did it take before you secured work after arriving? Any experiences (on all professions) much appreciated!

Hi folks. Happy to report another direct grant!! Applied 7 September and granted today - 16 October! Front loaded application except for form 80. What a start to the weekend!